Portable oil and gas service station



' .Iun 17, 193).v F. STEIN'HAUER. '11,764,057

" PQ'RTABLE 011. AND GAS SERVICE s'lATIoN' Filed April 2e, 1;926'

June 17, 1930. F. P. STEI'NHMJERv L 1,764,057

PORTABLE OILVND GAS SERVICE STATION 'Filed A21-i1 a6., 1926 2sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRITZP. STEINHAUEBA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,` ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO GEORGEA. SCHNEIDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS PORTABLE OIL AND GAS SERVICE STATION'l Application led April 26, 1926. Serial Nb. 104,862.

This invention relates to an oil and gasoline purveyin-g tank car, theprimary objectbeing the provision in an' automobile of storage tanks forvarious grades of oil and gasoline with means for dispensing measuredquantities as desiredfrom any one of such tanks at the place of businessof customers, or to the traveling public along the highway by scouts, orto automobiles congregated at parking places, instead of requiringcustomers to drive their cars to a permanently located lling station asis now the usual practice.

`Further refinements of the invention in-- clude the' provision ofmeasuring devices such as standpipes with visible containers suppliedfrom the storage tanks by pumps driven from the motor or electricgenerator or storage battery of the car.

As before indicated, it is almost universal custom for owners ofpassenger or delivery cars, trucks and other automobiles, to drive atintervals to established filling stations for the purpose Aof llingtheir tanks. This en- .tails inconveniencev and loss of time, and

frequently the car owner, to avoid such trouble, postpones `going forgasoline longer than is wise and inds his supply exhausted at a criticaltime when unable to drive under his own power to the nearest station'.

By my invention, gasoline e and oil can readily be delivered tothecustomer at his own home or garage in the same manner as ice and ymilkare regularly supplied to the consumer. i Y

Contractors, express companies, and oth- .ers having fleets of truckscan be visited at regular intervals and the tanks of their automobilesreplenished without visiting a remote filling station. In order thatthe'invention may bereadily understood, preferred, and modifiedembodiments of the same are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Itis to be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied infurther modified structures without departure from the essence thereofas set forth in the accompanying claims, wherefore the description andillustrations REIFSSUE are to be taken in an .illustrative and not in anunnecessarily limiting sense.

Asset forth in the drawings Fig.v 1 is aside elevation of a tank carembodying the invention, the side being broken away to show the interior'arrange ment;

to Fig.1 but show- Having particular reference to Figs. 1 to f1inclusive, the car housesiwithin its interior, one or more gasolinestorage tanks 11 and 11a andone or more oil storage tanks 12 and 12a,one or more measuring standpipes 13 and 13a lcarrying visible measuringcontainers or meters 14 and 14 equipped with the usual dispensing hose15. The motor 16 of the car has its power take-olli' 17 and stub shaft18 operatively connected with the driven shaft 19 by means of sprocketsand sprocket chains 20. The driven shaft 19 in turn drives the countershaft 21 by means of beveled pinions, and the counter shaft, beingcontinuous, has fixed thereon clutch elements 22-'which cooperate withoth- -er clutch elements 23 which are shiftable axially into and theclutch element -lever 24. Each of the shiftable clutch ele- `ments 23 isin operative connection by out of engagement with 22 by means of theclutch means of gear teeth 23a and pinions 25 with a rotary pump 26.Each of the pumps 26 is interposed in a supply pipeleadin from one ofthe storage tanks to one of t e me-v ters or measuring devices, wherebythe liquid is drawn from one of the storage tanks vand forced into themeasuring device. The

supply pipe 27 leads from the lower portion of the gasoline tank 11 byway of its pump 26 to the visible container 14 of one of the standpipemeters while an excess" return pipe 28 leads fromthe proper level 'ofthe liquid within the meter and. discharges 4into the the suppl pipe 29leads from the lower portion o the gasoline tank 11 by Way of its pump26 to the visible container 14a of its measuring device or meter and anexcess return pipe 30 leads from the meter to the up er part of thegasoline tank 11.

. upply pipes ,3l and 31 lead from the bottom of oil tanks 12 and 12a byway of Atheir respective pumps to measuring and delivery devices 32 and32El here shown as 4manually operated by means of the hand cranks33. y

The operation of the embodiments shown in these iigures' 1 to4inclusive, as `heretofore described, will be readilyunderstood. Havingarrived at the dispensing point, the motor of the car is disconnectedbymeans of the usual clutch from the driving wheels of the car and thepower take-off drives the shaft 19 which in turn drives the countershaft 21. vIf it is desired to dispense-gasoline from .the'ftank 11, theproper' clutch is thrown into engagement to actuate the pump 26 in thesupply pipe 27 whereby ygasolineis forced from the tank into tthevisible meter 14 of the standpipe 13. 'When the proper amount haspassedover, thev clutch is thrown out and any excess is returned by wayof the pipe 28 to thetank- 11. 'The dispensing hose 15 then serves toempty the meter into Ithe tank of the automobile being served. In asimilar manner gasoline can bey forced from the tank 11a' into its meter14a and thence dispensed. By* the operation of the proper clutch oil canbe supplied from any one of the tanks as maybe desired.

As an optional arrangement for forcing.

the gasoline or oil 'from the respective tanks to the measuring devices,the tank car is provided with an air compressor 34 from which duplicatesof pipe 35 lead to the up- Ap er portion of the respective tanks. The

airpressure thus generated within the tank above the liquid will forcethe li uid at willv to the respective-measuringand elivery devices,valves being interposed where found desirable to control the flow.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing, a modified structure is shown wherebythe pumps are driven from ,the'motor indirectly by means of electriccurrent 'supplied' from the motor driven generator 36 and the `bat tery37 tothe electric motors 38, 38, 381 and 38, which are connected to the'respective pumps 26, the pipe arrangement being advantageously the sameor theequivalent of that shown in Figs. 1k to 4 inclusive.

. I n this embodiment ofthe invention, it is not necessary vordinarilyto lkeep the motor running and take the current from they generator 36,but .thebattery 37 may be drawn upon to supply current to trunk linesandbranch lines controlled by switches of. any

conventional arrangement .to the electric 'motors By the term stand pipeis understood to be included any gravity flow device for the dispensedli uid and not necessarily an exposed vertica column such as isillustrated and described by way of example.

"current from the motor driven generator 36 or battery 37, or whetherthe liquid be forced from the storage tanks by air pressure sup-v .pliedfrom the compressor 34,' thisl result 1s caused directly or indirectlyby the power' plant of the car itself, thus utilizing the same motivepower for transporting'the filling station from place to place and forYdis-v pensing the oil and gasoline `when the point of sale is reached.

It willbe observed that all of the supply and return pipes, the wiring,the pumps, electric motors and other accessorial operating parts are'disposed within the tank car and beneath the structure,- leaving therear platform freeof encumbrances which would otherwise hamper theattendant in the eilicient performance of his ldispensing' duties. Iclaim:

1. A motor driven vehicle'e uipped with storage tanks for oil andl gasoine or `other liquid fuel, standpipes with visible meters, a supply pipeconnecting each meter with a tank, a'dispensing, hose frem' each meter,

pumps inserted between the'tanks and ineters, and means for utilizingthe vehicle Y motor to drive any one of the pumps at will, said meanscomprising a motor driven counter shaft, and clutches interposed between`the counter shaft and each.of the pumps.

2. A motor driven vehicle equipped with storage tanks-for oil andgasoline or other liquid fuel, standpipes with( visible meters,

a supply pipeconnecting each meter with a tank, a dispensing hose fromeach meter,

pumps inserted between the tanks and meters, and means for utilizing.the vehicle motor to drive any one of the pumps at will, saidmeanscomprising an electric generator and storagebattery, electric motorsdriven thereby and connected with tlie pumps, ando switches disposed ineachl circuit. v

3. A motor-driven vehicle equipped with storage tanks for bil landgasoline or other liquid fuel,"'standpipes with visible meters, afsupplyvpipe connecting each meter with atank, a dipensing hosefrom each meter,

and means e ectuatediby the power plant of ysupply pipes from the'7storage tank/s `to the meters, said means comprising a compressordelivering air under pressure into the .tanks above the level of theliquid therein., u

the` vehicle to force the liquid through the et, A motor driven vehicleequipped with i mirage tanks for oil and gasoline or other4 iiquid,liquid measuring and indicating devices, supply pipes connecting themeasuring devices with the respective storage tanks, dispensing pipesleading from the measuring devices, pumps interposed in the supplypipes, and means driven by the vehicle power plant for operating theplumps alternatively. lo motor driven ve icle equipped with iiqui',liquid measuring and indicating devices, supply ipes connecting themeasuring devices Wit the respective storage tanks;I 5 dispensing pipesleading rom thev measuri g devices, pumps interposed in the supply pes,and means energized by the vehicle motor for operating thepumpsalternatively, the vehicle having an attendants platform 2Qsupporting the measurin and indicating' devices and unobstructed y thepipes and pumps and other operating mechanism,

6. ln a portable service station, e. motordriven vehicle having anenclosed body and 25 a service patform, storage tanks disposed withinthe body enclosure, standpipes with visible measuring devices mounted onthe service platform, a Asupply pipe connecting eacla measuring devicewith a Stora e tank,

3 a dispensing pipe leading from eaon measfuring device, pumps insertedoetween the and measuring devices, and power transmission meansconnecting the vehicledriving motor with the pumps.

35 7. in a portable service station, a motordriven veliicle having anenclosed body and y a service platform, storage tanks disposed Withintne body enclosure., standpipes with visible measuring devices mountedon tire service platiorm, supplyk ipes Acon'iiecting the measuringdevices witg the tanks, die

pensing pipes leading from the measuring.

devices., pnmps inserted between the' tanks and measuring devices, andtransmission 45 ineens between the 'veiiiciedrivinff motor4 A and thepumps, seid transnnssion menne in cluding a manually operated cintclnfor' each pump, the pumps and snnply pipes losing located teint? tilevehicle cdy,

In testimony whereof. E have hereunto subscribed my name, y

FRITZ P. STEENEMER l Stora e tanks for oil and. gasoline or other-

